Tease Guitars is offering their Telecaster style guitar in silver burst (SB-Edition) for $150, including a gig bag and with free shipping.
They're offering a free included headphone amp using code
christmaspa OR a string height rule and fretboard relief gauge with code
christmasfr. Add the one you want to your cart and apply the coupon code.
Of note, you can add a setup to your cart, which includes a set of new Ernie Ball strings, for $40 (up from $20, but still a decent price).
- SilverBurst- Basswood Body
- .250 pots & .022 caps
- Chrome Standard Hardware
- Standard Bridge
- SS Alnico V Single coil pups
- Black Pickguard
- 22 Med/Jumbo Frets
- Bone Nut
- Headstock same as neck with Black Logo & Silver SB
https://teaseguitars.com/ols/prod...tele-style
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(Come on, someone had to say it!)
But there are some recent events that have had me reconsider this at points.
First, the $150 Squiers are fine for what they are, and reviews indicate they're the most playable entry-level Squiers made to date. (Of note, Squier Sonics don't appear to use full-thickness bodies.) However, the Telecaster is the most standardized of the solid body guitars out there. Apart from common variations in the number of holes in the bridge, almost everything else is interchangeable. It's why you can easily replace a six-saddle bridge with three-saddle bridge, or swap for a bridge without the sides, etc. Likewise with pickups and most everything else. It's like an open source guitar.
Second, I bought a 40th anniversary Squier Tele on the big closeout, when they were selling for $300 versus their MSRP of $600. The neck was beautiful, the frets were rounded and smooth, the finish was 90% perfect (couple of defects in the curve of the horn), and it was a nice weight. BUT, the neck pickup was muddy garbage, and, worst of all, the guitar did not stay in tune. Play for 30 seconds, and out of tune it went. Was it the tuners, the nut, or the bridge? Hard to say. It was probably going to be another $75-$100 to fix it all.
In contrast, I bought one of the Firefly Teles on the Black Friday deal, $177 to my door. It's full thickness, too. The finish is gorgeous, and I can't find any defects. The roasted maple neck is awesome and protects against fret sprout. It is topped by a rosewood fretboard not available on the Squiers. Better yet, it has a 12" radius (my preference) that I can't get on anything but a big-brand Fender. The frets were rounded and free of sharp ends; they were level, too.
The negatives on arrival included a dirty fretboard and frets, lousy strings, and insufficient neck relief. I spent 45 minutes tossing the strings, scrubbing the fretboard, cleaning the frets, replacing the strings, adding neck relief with the truss rod, and adjusting the action height. It plays great. While doing that, I investigated inside: the routing was all neat and tidy(*), with shielding paint everywhere, and, surprise!, there was an actual robust 3-way switch and full-size pots! I later discovered the tuners needed a bit of fiddling to make them easier to work, but they're solid now. This guitar makes me smile every time I pick it up, at $123 less than the Squier 40th anniversary model, which was a PREMIUM Squier.
I chalk most of this up to the open source nature of the Tele plus modern CNC manufacturing.
Third, I don't know how much value to place on the warranty. I've never had to warranty a guitar. For solid body guitars, what is there that would go wrong during the warranty period? If the guitar doesn't work out of the box, just swap it or return it. The warranty doesn't cover fret sprout (which is very possible), crappy pickups, or difficulty staying in tune.
Reports on these Tease guitars are pretty good. If they're made in the same factories that are making the Firefly guitars, they're likely pretty decent. These aren't the $60 super-cheapies, but closer to Firefly guitar prices. For $40, the seller will set it up and put new Ernie Ball strings on so it's ready to play when you open the box.
That's why I posted this deal. This SB Tele looks really good, and you can send it back if you hate it (at your expense for the return shipping, though).
(*) YouTuber Landon Bailey looked into a new Squier Sonic. That inside routing is pretty ugly. Shamefully ugly, in fact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3moDeyX-SsY
But there are some recent events that have had me reconsider this at points.
The neck of the guitar is the most important thing when considering the feel of play. I love the look of jazzmasters, but then I went to GC and tried one. The neck was too chunky for me.
Another thing is the return policy for most places that sell bigger name guitars. I got an Indio Retro DLX Plus from eBay that didn't work for me (everything about that guitar was great, it just felt wrong compared to my Strat), so I returned it. For free. Returning to Tease will cost you shipping ($30+ is a fifth the cost of the guitar).
I don't know how a Tease would feel. Maybe great, possibly terrible. I can't try it, and returning it will cost me a not insignificant amount of money, so I won't gamble on it.
But I am tempted, because they do look nice.
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The neck of the guitar is the most important thing when considering the feel of play. I love the look of jazzmasters, but then I went to GC and tried one. The neck was too chunky for me.
Another thing is the return policy for most places that sell bigger name guitars. I got an Indio Retro DLX Plus from eBay that didn't work for me (everything about that guitar was great, it just felt wrong compared to my Strat), so I returned it. For free. Returning to Tease will cost you shipping ($30+ is a fifth the cost of the guitar).
I don't know how a Tease would feel. Maybe great, possibly terrible. I can't try it, and returning it will cost me a not insignificant amount of money, so I won't gamble on it.
But I am tempted, because they do look nice.
The only place near me with Squiers is Guitar Center, and their inventory is really hit and miss. If you buy new from GC with "free" shipping, at least it's an easy return to the store. Fender's store doesn't offer free return shipping IIRC, and neither does Adorama.
As a personal reflection, I, too, love free shipping, but it's never *really* free. It's just included in the price. Free returns are reflected in *everyone's* pricing, to cover the cost of the returned units. When I consider all that, it changes my thinking. "Is this something I want, or just something I want to see or try out?" If the latter, I wait. Free shipping will encourage people to try a product as subject to personal taste as a guitar, but absorbing a bunch of shipping costs would either send prices too high or sink a small business. Tease is definitely the latter, so their policy is understandable.
I bought my Firefly as a gamble, based on the photos and fan reviews. The shipping costs (original and return shipping) did get me to commit to resolving the small issues with the instrument, and now I'm really happy.
But I am tempted, because they do look nice.
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